Amazon.com Inc.

06/08/2026 | News release | Distributed by Public on 06/08/2026 06:17

6 tips to help you spot and avoid scams impersonating Amazon

Key takeaways

  • Bad actors are using increasingly sophisticated tactics to impersonate trusted brands, like Amazon, and gain access to customer information.
  • Through investment in automated technology and partnerships with key industry organizations, Amazon can take down reported phishing websites in just a few hours.
  • If you receive a suspicious message, verify directly through the Amazon app or website-and report it using Amazon's self-service tool or at [email protected].
We want to help consumers avoid impersonation scams. These scams happen when someone pretends to be Amazon and contacts you directly-through phone calls, text messages, social media, or emails-to try to trick you into sharing sensitive information like Social Security numbers, bank information, or Amazon account details.
Of all the scams impersonating Amazon reported by our customers globally in 2025, 28% involved attempts to gain access to customer accounts. These scams often use urgent requests or account-related messages designed to convince you to share your information. The reports often include interactions with scammers where a customer tells us, "I got a random call from someone who claimed there was an issue with my Amazon account, and I needed to install software or share a one-time password to resolve the problem." We invest significant resources to protect consumers and stores from these scammers.
While these scams take place outside of our store, we take their impact on customers seriously. As scammers evolve their tactics-from fake emails to text messages and fraudulent job offers-Amazon is investing to stay ahead, take down threats, and make it easy for you to verify communication.

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How Amazon is fighting back

First, we want you to know when you communicate with Amazon, it's really us. Amazon adopted a secure email capability to make it easier for customers to identify authentic emails from Amazon. Customers using Gmail, Yahoo!, and other common email providers can be confident an email is coming from Amazon because you will see the Amazon smile logo icon in your inbox. We also provide resources on how to tell whether an email, phone call, text message, or webpage is really from Amazon.
Second, we continue to hold bad actors accountable. Through continued investment in automated technology and partnership with key industry organizations, Amazon can now take down reported phishing websites in just a few hours. In 2025, Amazon initiated takedowns of more than 70,000 phishing websites and 14,000 phone numbers being used for impersonation scams. Third, we educate consumers on how to avoid scams. While bad actors will try to evade detection, there are helpful tips that all of us can use to avoid impersonation scams.

6 tips to help you stay safe

No one is immune to scams, nor should anyone feel embarrassed when targeted by one. Here are six tips to help you stay safe from impersonation scams:
  1. Verify directly through Amazon. If you receive a message-whether by email, text, or phone-about the purchase of a product or service, account issue, job opportunity, or product recall, and you're not sure it's legitimate, go to Amazon.com or the Amazon app directly to confirm purchase history and account information before taking any action.
  2. Trust Amazon's app and website. We will not ask for payment over the phone or email-only in our mobile app, on our website, or in one of our physical stores. We will not call and ask you to make a payment or bank transfer on another website.
  3. Be wary of false urgency. Scammers often try to create a sense of urgency to persuade you to do what they're asking.
  4. Don't be pressured into buying a gift card. We will never ask you to purchase a gift card, and no legitimate sale or transaction will require you to pay with gift cards. Learn more about common gift card scams on our help pages.
  5. Contact us. If you're ever unsure, it's safest to stop engaging with the potential scammer and contact us directly through the Amazon app or website. Do not call numbers sent over text or email, or found in online search results. Remember, Amazon will not ask you to download or install any software to connect with customer service, grant remote access to your device, nor will we request payment for any customer service support.
  6. Check what others are saying. See if anyone else has reported a similar situation. In the U.S., Amazon has partnered with the Better Business Bureau to provide consumers a searchable Scam Tracker that enables you to search suspicious communications reported by others by email, URL, phone number, and more.

Report something suspicious

If you receive correspondence that you think may not be from Amazon, please report it immediately. Customers can use the Amazon self-service tool to report something suspicious in just a few quick steps. If you are not a customer, you can still report a suspicious message to us at [email protected]. These reports give us information to identify bad actors and take action against them, helping us stop scams before they happen.

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You are protected when you shop on Amazon

We have a team of thousands of people globally-machine learning scientists, software developers, and expert investigators-dedicated to protecting our store and our customers from fraud and other forms of abuse. Always use Amazon's official website and app when looking for deals, making a purchase, and reviewing your order history. We also stand behind every product in our store whether it is sold by Amazon or an independent small business with the A-to-z Guarantee. This protection applies to products purchased in our stores worldwide. In the unlikely event that customers experience issues with timely delivery or condition of their purchase, we will make it right by refunding or replacing it.
We are committed to protecting consumers from scammers who seek to impersonate Amazon to take advantage of the trust customers place in us. We have zero tolerance for these criminals who pretend to be Amazon to commit fraud. We will continue to pursue bad actors and hold them accountable. We will also continue to work with organizations to educate consumers and empower them with the tools you need to protect yourself.

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Amazon.com Inc. published this content on June 08, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on June 08, 2026 at 12:17 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]